Coast Guard Cadets Redesign Helicopter Rescue Basket

Coast Guard Academy cadets studying mechanical engineering here have been prototyping a new and improved rescue basket, which could revolutionize the way the Coast Guard conducts search and rescue missions with MH-60 Jayhawk helicopters.

First class cadets Christian Breviario, Riely Brande, Benjamin Crutchfield, Nolan Richerson and Spencer Smith spent the last year working closely with the U.S. Coast Guard Research and Development Center to improve upon the current rescue basket design after receiving input from search and rescue operators in the fleet.

Coast Guard Study

“In 2009, the Research and Development Center conducted an internal Coast Guard study,” said M.J. Lewandowski, a research project manager for the RDC. “The study noted that the Coast Guard’s ability to respond to mass rescue incidents was, and still is, somewhat limited in the methods available to remove large numbers of people from a hazardous marine situation quickly and safely.”

The RDC and academy leaders approached Breviario and his capstone group at the beginning of their senior year to see if improvements could be made to the current design that would increase the Coast Guard’s effectiveness during mass rescue incidents.

“We have added a means of entry that is easier for people who may be injured or have limited mobility,”…